What do the Eiffel Tower, a musician, and a lobster tank have in common (no, this is not like one of those three-men-walk-into-a-bar jokes, so don’t try to come up with a clever punch line)? They are all sugar sculptures, created by a local chef to highlight the uniqueness of a hot new trend in restaurants. Imagine a bar or bistro dedicated to serving exquisitely prepared desserts that far exceed your expectations and imagination. A sort of candy store for adults, a place that takes you back to your childhood. This hottest new craze in restaurant concepts is the dessert bar.

The idea is all about showcasing desserts and making the experience an event, and it’s catching on. Finale Dessert Company in Boston was the pioneer, opening the door for others such as ChikaLicious in New York, Sin Desserts in Chicago and Chocolate Pink Pastry Café in Atlanta. Charlotte’s very own Sugar Buzz was on the leading edge of the trend when it opened back in 2002 with award-winning Executive Pastry Chef Geoff Blount.

Chef Blount, now Instructor of Hospitality Education at Central Piedmont Community College’s Harris Campus, said, “Dessert bars are the new way to socialize. We like going out for a cocktail and a dessert. It’s new and we’ve done everything else.” Enter Salara. Located in Ballantyne Village in South Charlotte, Salara (Italian for “lounge”) is the brainchild of former banker Dan Stiefel. Entering Salara, I was immediately struck by the European influence on the restaurant’s décor and ambience. Salara’s look is the epitome of the minimalists’ dream of simple elegance. Huge, plush lounging chairs anchor the corner window and high, cushiony stools belly up to the bar. The main dining tables and chairs are of the new counter height - taller than a standard table but lower than a bar counter. These were chosen with the intention of increasing seating accessibility and adding to customers’ comfort. Women make up the majority of Salara’s customer base, so Stiefel has even thought out the small details, like providing small hooks under the bar counter to hold handbags.

Arranged throughout the room are colorful sugar sculptures created by the Executive Pastry Chef of Salara, Bill Foltz, U.S. National Pastry Chef of the Year for 2006. Chef Foltz joined Salara in November 2007. He gets the inspiration for his creations  “on a whim.” Once he knows where he wants to go, he creates as he goes along. He doesn’t start with serious expectations, but has trained himself to “just go with the flow.”

So what brought Chef Foltz, who was previously the Executive Pastry Chef at the four-star Sagamore Resort in Bolton Landing, New York, to South Charlotte and Salara? “I lived in Pinehurst, North Carolina for seven years and realized quickly that we really loved the south. I spent a year and a half trying to get back down here. Then one day Charlotte popped up and my family was very excited.”

Using the Cheesecake Factory as the business model for Salara’s neighborhood bistro-like concept, Stiefel and Foltz have incorporated small savory bites to round out their sweet menu, including plated and frozen desserts, crêpes, and many assorted pastries. The lunch menu at Salara is light and caters to the business crowd with limited time. Between the indoor and outdoor patio seating, the restaurant can easily accommodate over 100 guests. Live acoustic entertainment is offered some evenings. Stiefel, hoping to rapidly expand his concept, is looking at additional locations in Charlotte, including Uptown, and other spots throughout the Carolinas. He has plans to build a 6000-square-foot production facility for catering, weddings, and events.

There was a time when the local bakery played a major role in American lives and supplied most of our pastries and baked goods. Suddenly we began to see the closing of bakeries all over the U.S. “With the advent of one-stop shopping, supermarkets caused the demise of the neighborhood bakeries,” said Chef Sadruddin Abdullah, Pastry Professor at the Charlotte campus of Johnson & Wales University. According to Chef Abdullah, “While the mega-supermarkets can produce volume, they are no competition for the level of quality and taste that can be realized from the products of the true pastry and baking artisans. The world is much smaller now and the globally savvy, more diverse consumer is well traveled and knowledgeable. They are familiar with European cafés and French patisseries. It is something that we once had and lost. So the American consumer is now realizing that while we gained the convenience of the one-stop shopping concept, we sacrificed the quality of superior desserts, pastries and breads. The dessert bar concept is not a trend at all, but a longing that the American consumer has been waiting to be fulfilled.”

As a result of all the bakery closings, the baking artisan, along with the art and techniques of baking, were almost lost. The art of baking was historically passed down from generation to generation. When bakeries started closing, the bakers, along with their craft, began to disappear. As we enter this new phase of upscale dessert bars there have to be enough well trained professionals to meet the demand. This is where culinary schools like Johnson & Wales, Central Piedmont Community College and the Art Institute come in. They can fill the gap with their ability to train and produce high caliber baking and pastry professionals with the necessary skills and techniques to branch out and open up more venues like Salara. “We know the market and the demand is there; it is about being able to deliver,” said Chef Abdullah.

When asked about his vision for Salara, Chef Foltz says “I want people to come here and wonder what’s going to happen next. I want them to understand that pastry is a culinary art. If we can get that message across, if they eat our food and are impressed by its artfulness and flavors, I think we have achieved our goal. We are serious about what we do and we enjoy doing it, but we want you to enjoy it, too!”

Salara Dessert Lounge & Bistro is located at 14825 John J. Delaney Drive, Suite 160
Business hours are Sunday-Thursday: 11am-10 pm and Friday & Saturday: 11am until midnight.
Call 704.369.5282 for more information.

~ Belinda Smith-Sullivan